


left to our own devices

by j_gabrielle



Category: Captain America (Movies), The Avengers (Marvel Movies), The Avengers (Marvel) - All Media Types
Genre: Angst, Baby Tony Stark, Bisexual Steve Rogers, F/M, Focus pairing is Stony, M/M, Past Stony, Spoilers for Endgame
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-04-27
Updated: 2019-04-27
Packaged: 2020-02-04 17:03:51
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 544
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18608800
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/j_gabrielle/pseuds/j_gabrielle
Summary: Steve remembers the shade of them in the morning as they are coloured by sleep, in those slow heartbeats in the middle of the night as they share breath and silence, sparkling with joy, sharp with rage, clouded in worry.





	left to our own devices

The spring sunlight warms his face when he tilts his head back to face it. Steve takes a deep breath. Drinking in the sounds of life around him; Mr Arno filling his shopfront with his daily fresh baked breads, Janet watching her charges as they play on the swings in the park, Darla laughing as she walks arm in arm with her sweetheart and waving at Steve when their eyes meet.

He tips his head in acknowledgement, turning back to watch the children from the nearby nursery march down the path and to the playground. Steve cranes his head, looking out for one child in particular.

A lone boy clambers into the sandpit, content to sink his fingers into the sand and build misshapen blobs that will sit in the pit until the next child inevitably stomps it out of existence. Steve watches the child play by himself while the rest of his classmates group together for games. The boy happily babbles a story to himself as he shapes and reshapes his creations, completely absorbed in the worlds he is creating.

He remembers a time when he was the singular focus of those clever brown eyes. When they looked at him with a time progression of wary distrust, fond acceptance, covert want, before becoming looks of love. Steve remembers the shade of them in the morning as they are coloured by sleep, in those slow heartbeats in the middle of the night as they share breath and silence, sparkling with joy, sharp with rage, clouded in worry. He knows he can draw them in his sleep, and the thought of living in a world without them in his life is not one he wants to entertain.

The harried nursery carers are occupied with their other charges, and that could be the only reason they do not see the lone boy toddling out of the sandpit and onto the grass. Steve aches to go to him, to pick him up and shield him from the world that awaits. To keep him safe from all the dangers that his life has in store. He muses on the possibility of being present for him through every milestone in his life; of giving him a different future than the the one that he already had. Would the Tony Stark that shapes this world be different than the one who shaped the world he had left behind?

"Steve?"

Peggy smiles when he turns her way. He gently takes her hand, standing to go when a wail pierces the morning air. Tony is looking right at him, brown eyes bright with tears and face ruddy. Something in Steve's chest twists unpleasantly and the itch to close the distance between him and Tony surges, but is quickly quelled by one of his carers coming for him, sweeping him into her arms and cooing unintelligible words of comfort. Peggy's knowing look speaks volume to the love they share between them. Steve wraps an arm around her waist, kissing the side of her head. This isn't his Tony, and no amount of wishing could make it so. Peggy leans in against him. A solid, real weight that anchors his heart in the here and now.

"Let's go home." He says, turning to go.

**Author's Note:**

> I have never, will never, allow any reposting or translations of my works without my permission. All of my works will and shall only be hosted on my personal accounts on AO3 (j_gabrielle), Dreamwidth (j_gabrielle) and Tumblr (randomingoftherandomness, hardheartshere).
> 
> For those who say that I never said anything, it is clearly stated on my AO3 profile bio.
> 
> I do not have a Twitter account.
> 
> I do not have a Wattpad account.
> 
> **Please Do Not Repost My Fics**


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